It is probably a useful tool for the general population, but you have to throw it out the window for athletes and bio-mechanic enthusiasts. Mine is 37.1 - obese. I think if I lost every ounce of fat, I'd still be over 30 or pretty close and still obese.

By no means am I not overweight. I have my PL gut. According to my last BF calculations, I had 192 lbs of lean mass with a body fat % somewhere around 20% and that was back in 2004. A conservative estimate (I know Ironman - I always have to put a conservative slant on things so don't get started) I've put on the standard 10 pounds of muscle each year since then. I've been busting my ass lifting so I don't think it is out of the question. So at 285 I'm still sporting an 18-20% body fat. I'm still fat and sporting 50-55 pounds of lard. However, I still say I am in better shape that 75% of the population and I don't think someone looking at me would say I was obese (overweight, yes, but not obese).

FWIW, at one time I weighed 290 with no muscle. I was disgustingly obese then.

I'm also curious if two people of the same height can have the same BMI if one is all fat and the other is all muscle.

Yes - for example, a pro football cornerback could be 6 feet tall and weigh 200 pounds with little bodyfat, while a potbellied, six foot, 200 pound middle aged man who weighed 160 pounds in his 20s are the same height and weight. Both men have the same BMI (27.1), but they aren't the same physically.

Bodyfat percentage is a better gauge of fitness than BMI for athletes. Other than football linemen, superheavyweight weightlifters and a few other examples, male athletes have a bodyfat percentage of 15% or less. Women athletes have higher bodyfat . Essential bodyfat percentages are 4% for men and 10% for women. Going below those percentages negatively impact one's health.

22.5, but that's in the middle of a slow weight cut for a fight. Normally it's 23.7 (and climbing!).

I should come out in that range, I'm a fairly lean guy. But it's interesting to note how close I am to "overweight" even as a weight-class athlete. All I need is to get to 205 - not exactly huge! - to be "overweight."

I am 5' 9" 216 lbs. with a smallish frame and I'm not lean at all, but I'm not fat either. I wear 34 inch waist pants. I'm maybe just a hair leaner than Hoosegow up there with his estimate that he probably got from Fox news or Rush Limbaugh. He can't just come up with it on his on, he has to have them measure and estimate and get him all stirred up into a fascist body comp frenzy! eh?...oh...that kind of conservative...... lol

So I have a BMI of 31.9 making me obese. I'm obese here in my 34 waist shorts and my large and medium shirts depending on the brand and how tight I want it.

btw I used to be 268 lbs with 46 inch waist pants that were getting tight.

Interesting responses, all. The BMI uses only two measurements and then goes on to explain the limitations. You'd think that the BMI calculation would be revised to include a third or more measurements for it to have more meaning.

One obvious factor would a fat measurement, like waist size or caliper skin measurement under the triceps.

Another factor may to include the fitness activity level so the BMI scale might be shifted accordingly.

I'm 6 feet tall and weigh in at 240lbs. Going by body fat percentage that I had done with calipers recently I am 23% body fat, meaning my lean mass is 185lbs and fat mass is 55lbs. My BMI is 32.9, to have a healthy BMI (<25) I would need to be 182.6lbs, hardly seems possible really!

At my current weight I still play Basketball and Volleyball, and though not as good as I was 10 years ago when I weighed 203lbs, I am still competative and hold my own especially in basketball! I think the true guage here is wellbeing not meeting the numbers! Fair enough I still want to lose a few pounds and get below 220lbs (100kgs, I wanna be 99kg, hit those double digits again!), but I feel that I can do anything I want to do!

My BMI is 27.4. I'm 5'7. 175. I might be less now, as I reckon i've lost a few lbs of fat over the last 6 weeks but i've not weighed. I've got leaner recently, but not on purpose so that should say it all (leaner = weaker!). Could be back down at 170. I was a 130-135 lean mean racing snake before I started lifting. A real intimidating figure as you can imagine.

I'm not freaksihly lean, I have abs, i don't have that line down the middle of them though which i always think that having it puts you in the single digits of body fat, but that could be an over generalisation.

Need another 20-ish lbs to get in the obese category, although just another few lbs and I qualify for the Britains latest over-the-counter diet pills (for people with a BMI of 28 and above).

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